India is a fascinating place. Unfortunately, most people outside of the culture know very little about it. I compiled some stats from all around the web to help you get to know India better.
- India is 1/3 the size of the US
- It is the 7th largest country
- It is the largest democracy
- India has the 2nd largest population in the world (1.2 Billion people)
- It is slated to beat the population of China by 2028
- Delhi has 22.65 million people, surpassed only by Tokyo (New York City has 8.4 million people)
- India has 3 of the world's top 10 mega cities
- India gained its independence from British rule in 1947
- Every major world religion is represented, but India is 80% Hindu and 13% Muslim
- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, & Sikhism all originated in India
- India has the 2nd largest Muslim population
- India has the world's largest movie industry. Bollywood produces almost twice as many movies as Hollywood
- The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by the Emperor Shah Jahan after his wife died during the birth of their 14th child in 1631. It took 22,000 workers 22 years to complete construction.
Unfortunately, there are some troubling statistics as well.
- India is called "The most dangerous place to be born a girl"
- It is the 3rd largest nation for human trafficking
- Estimates are as high as 3 million girls have been lost to infanticide in the last 10 years
- 42% of girls will drop out of school to take care of the home or siblings
- 40% of the population is illiterate
- Many live on less than $2 a day
- There are 12.4 million orphans, 1 million more added each year
- There are only 5,000 in country adoptions each year. And not many more outside the country.
-10-15% of orphans will commit suicide by the age of 18.
So, what will we be doing to help?
First we will be working with a group that has a boys and girls home already established. We want to provide a stable and nurturing home to these children that are deemed as cast offs of society. Secondly, we will be providing an education for these same children, who otherwise would not be able to afford school. Thirdly, child sponsorships. We want to allow you to invest in these children and see where your money is going and how it is making a difference.
That's a little summary of where we will be going, and what we will be doing. We can't wait.
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